the warning signs that the american heart association is educating patients to look out for include: just having one of the symptoms may not mean a stroke is in progress, but if one of the symptoms lasts for ten minutes... 911 operator: houston fire and ambulance. what's your emergency? stroke? is he able to move his arms and legs, and talk as usual? dr. saver: then at the ten minute mark, you should call 911 or be driven directly to the emergency room. don't waste time trying to reach your doctor or reach aunt minnie, who had a stroke ten years ago, and is the family expert on a stroke. call 911 and come directly to the hospital. that's the only way we have a chance of getting to patients in time. we have a 54-year-old white female, 54-year-old white female, possible stroke. in the past, before doctors had the means to check the damaging effects of a clot, stroke victims were not considered a priority, by paramedics or emergency personnel. now that we have proven interventions available, that attitude is changing, and more and more emergency medical systems are recognizing that stro